Ombudsman: The Finer Points of Fine Print

Q: Last July, my husband and I planned a vacation to Israel, bookended with visits to Rome. I purchased flights and hotels, plus travel insurance, for the whole trip through Expedia. We flew to Rome as planned, but after the FAA banned U.S. flights to Tel Aviv, we canceled our trip to Israel and even cut our visit to Italy short—assuming we’d be covered by the travel insurance. And although we did get our money back for the canceled trip to Israel, the insurer, Aon Affinity Berkely Travel, denied our claim for the nights we didn’t stay in Rome and for the airline tickets we purchased to return home early. How can that be? –Terri L., St. Louis Park, Minn.

A: The plan you bought actually had two parts. The first was a “vacation waiver”—offered through Expedia—that allowed you to “change or cancel your trip for any reason” as long as you did so prior to departure. Since you didn’t go to Israel, that trip was fully refunded. But the second part of your coverage, offered through Aon, came into effect once you’d started your trip to Rome. That insurance did provide benefits for trip interruption, but only for the reasons enumerated as “covered events” in your policy—delays, car accidents, and even surprise jury duty. Because war and civil unrest were not listed as covered, Aon is within its rights to deny your claim. All trip insurance plans are different—even if they’re purchased from the same online travel agency, in this case, Expedia.